S Lebanon Continues to Endure Intense Fighting

More than three
weeks after hostilities began, Hizbollah and the Israeli
Defence Forces (IDF) are still exchanging heavy fire in
southern Lebanon with little sign of any abatement, the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported
today.

Although the number of rockets launched by
Hizbollah from within UNIFIL’s area of operation during
the past 24 hours was below the figures of recent days, the
numbers remained large, UNIFIL said in a statement issued in
the Lebanese city of Naqoura. Some rockets were fired from
close to UN positions near Alma ash Shab and At
Tiri.

UNIFIL reported that the IDF maintained its
intensive shelling and aerial bombardment across Lebanon’s
south, where the mission has operated since 1978. The IDF
fired from close to UN positions in Naqoura and near Hula
and Markaba.

The statement noted that the mission had
protested vigorously to both the Israeli and Lebanese
authorities about the attacks launched close to UN
posts.

A convoy of UNIFIL vehicles also came under small
arms fire near Markaba, causing damage to an armoured
personnel carrier. It was not possible to determine the
origin of the attack, UNIFIL said.

Aside from its
monitoring function, UNIFIL has been involved in many
humanitarian and engineering activities since the crisis
began. The mission helped evacuate 21 civilians from the UN
post at Marun al Ras to another UN post near Tibnin
yesterday, with plans to relocate the group outside the area
later today. It has also repaired damaged roads, cleared
several villages of rubble, and provided water and treatment
to Lebanese civilians.

Meanwhile, UNIFIL engineering
workers were today able to extricate the remains of the last
of the four military observers killed on 25 July when IDF
bombardment destroyed their post at Khiyam. The bodies of
three of the observers had already been recovered, but the
final body was only found after debris was cleared from the
site.

Since the conflict began three weeks ago, the
violence has forced about one million people to flee their
homes in Lebanon and northern Israel, including an estimated
800,000 people in Lebanon. Hundreds of others have been
killed and thousands more
injured.

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